The Ministry of Labor and Employment had to revise images in its public materials following complaints that one of the illustrations featured what some saw as a hand gesture associated with misandry, local media reported Wednesday. The illustration was part of a safety infographic shared via Kakao Talk messenger on Aug. 5 to alert the public about recent serious industrial accidents. It detailed the safety hazards leading to the fatal fall on Aug. 2 of a worker who had been fixing roofing materi

As the medical standoff extends over seven months, the government has been discussing mandating an additional license in order to open private hospitals, sparking fury among young doctors here, many of whom have walked off the job to protest the government's medical school quota hike. In line with the government's health care reform plan, the Health Ministry is reviewing introducing a so-called “practice license” in the future, arguing that a doctor's license alone can

Infrastructural damage caused by typhoon; including sunken cars, homes and landslides

Amid growing fears, KDCA chief expresses confidence in handling virus within 'current health care system'

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has decided to drop the anticorruption charges against first lady Kim Keon Hee, closing its investigation into allegations that she received a luxury Christian Dior handbag and other expensive gifts in exchange for favors. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, which is in charge of the first lady's case, has recently decided not to press charges and report its decision to Prosecutor General Lee One-seok, according to legal circle

A 49-year-old woman has been given a one-year jail term, suspended for two years, for attacking a man and a woman under the false belief they were stalking her, court officials said Wednesday. In a recent ruling from the Seoul Northern District Court, the suspect was found guilty of violence and special bodily injury on another in two attacks, against a 44-year-old woman and a 70-year-old man with mental disabilities She was also ordered to be on probation. On Sept. 16 last year the defendant at

A man in his 20s was arrested for making a fake bomb report and robbing a convenience store, South Korean police said Wednesday. The suspect called the police via 112 at around 7 a.m. Tuesday from Pyeongnae-dong, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and said he installed an explosive device inside the nearby PyeongnaeHopyeong station. He then went into a convenience store and threatened a store clerk with a weapon, stealing 90,000 won ($67) in cash. Police officers searched the station, but did not f

South Korea's east coastal cities recently extended the availability of lifeguards at official beaches, in light of people continuing to visit them even after they officially closed following the summer vacation period. The city governments of Gangneung and Donghae said they will continue to have lifeguards posted to some beaches for visitors, even after they have closed for this year's summer vacation season. Regional governments operate "haesuyokjang" -- referring to seasid

The number of foreign medical doctors in South Korea has been on a steady increase, data showed, amid a prolonged walkout by doctors and trainee doctors here over a government-proposed spike in the medical school quota. The report comes amid plans by the Health Ministry to allow foreign medical doctors to practice medicine in the country without obtaining a local license. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the ruling People Power Party, the n

Typhoon Jongdari passed by waters west of Jeju Island on Tuesday, the state weather agency said, with no damage reported as of yet. As of 6 p.m., a typhoon warning was changed to an advisory for southern waters far off Jeju as the typhoon traveled northward at 33 kilometers per hour about 100 km southwest of the island's southern city of Seogwipo, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Jeju received up to 99 millimeters of rain, while the maximum instantaneous wind spee

Starting Wednesday, South Korean health authorities will classify mpox as an infectious disease subject to border screening and require passengers flying from eight African nations with mpox symptoms to report to officials, health authorities here said Tuesday afternoon. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the decision comes after the World Health Organization declared mpox a "public health emergency of international concern" last week. Under the strengthened surveilla

In a groundbreaking moment for Korean astronomy, the International Astronomical Union has named a lunar crater after 19th-century Joseon-era polymath Nam Byeong-cheol, marking the first time a Korean name has been assigned to a feature on the moon's surface. The Danuri Magnetic Field Payload Research Team from the Department of Space Exploration at Kyung Hee University said Monday that a crater on the far side of the moon, discovered through international collaborative research, has been na

Typhoon to weaken to a low pressure system on Wednesday

With regulations and laws regarding e-scooters still in their infancy despite growing popularity and accidents, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced Tuesday that the public and private sectors are working together to strengthen safety management measures to prevent further accidents. The announcement comes after the government signed a business agreement with related organizations in July, including ten major personal mobility rental companies; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure a

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his coworker, police said Tuesday. The suspect, who was identified as a Thai national in his 30s, is believed to have stabbed a fellow Thai coworker in his 60s in the neck in a foundry dormitory in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province around 10:40 p.m. on Monday. The two workers were found to be living and working in South Korea unregistered. The victim was fatally stabbed in the neck and died while receiving emergency medical treatment at a near